Then and Now: Surratt Boarding House

History

Then and Now: Surratt Boarding House

by Kent Boese • May 8, 2009 3:00 pm

Click on an image to enlarge.

Then (left): Though photographed ca. 1900, the house (left) wasn't much different from when Mary Surratt ran a boarding house at 604 H. Street, NW. She became connected to the Lincoln Assassination because she rented rooms to John Wilkes Booth and his conspirators prior to the attack on President Lincoln. Image from the Library of Congress, Brady-Handy Photograph Collection.

Now (right): The main entrances have been moved to the ground level rather than the second. While largely intact, there is not much of historical significance beyond the shell and the address. Currently, both the Surratt house and the structure to the west of it have Chinese food services on the ground floor.

14 comments

Tags: Chinatown, DC, downtown DC, history

Then and Now: 1400 block of Pennsylvania Avenue (May 4, 2009)
Lost Washington: Hamburgh Village House (Oct 28, 2009)
Then and Now: 3615 Warder (Apr 15, 2009)
Then and Now: Park Place, NW (Apr 20, 2009)
Lost Washington: Tuckerman House (Jan 19, 2010)

Kent Boese posts items of historic interest primarily within the District. He's worked in libraries since 1994, both federal and law, and currently works on K Street. He lives in the Park View neighborhood, and is the force behind the blog Washington Kaleidoscope.

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Also notable is how much narrower the sidewalk is now. It looks to be half its old width, or less. That may be why the stoops were removed...

by Mike on May 8, 2009 3:43 pm

What's more, look how tiny the people were then!

by ah on May 8, 2009 3:49 pm

On the second floor of the Surratt House, the window at the far left seems to be lower than the one in the middle and the one that used to be the main entrance -- I'm referring to the modern photo.

by coneyraven on May 8, 2009 4:39 pm

The roofline also appears to be someone shallower (less pitch) now. It seems they raised the front, so that the dormers are now more recessed, with more roof in front of them, and perhaps the rear as well. And the chimney appears to be shorter (or extends less far above the roof).

by ah on May 8, 2009 5:09 pm

Again, this most interesting series intersects with posts I have made in my other blogs.

http://continuingcounterreformation.blogspot.com/search/label/Abraham%20Lincoln%20assassination

Be sure to explore the tag "Tupper Saussy"

by Douglas Willinger on May 8, 2009 5:28 pm

That is one of the few antebellum structures in the area, in fact. I have photographed a few more, including the four a the corner of 6th & H:

by Monumentality on May 8, 2009 9:46 pm

I'm not sure I get the point of this series. Apparently some buildings get torn down and replaced and others don't. Fascinating. I believe that's called ``history,'' and it's been working like this for thousands of years. I hope you're not trying to suggest that we turn D.C. into a museum and preserve everything now standing forever...

by caryoreilly on May 10, 2009 4:32 pm

CaryOReilly, I think it's more a matter of preservation the finest examples of structures and neighborhoods to serve as a reminder of where we've been while adapting old buildings to new uses and adding new buildings (and additions) altogether. Another way of looking at it is that we're looking to be much more responsible in the way "our buildings get torn down and replaced" as happened in the immediate post war period. So, it's not a matter of stopping progress or the natural evolution of things, but rather of getting a handle on where we're going and going there in a controlled and overall better manner than when progress is left completely to chance. That's all.

by Lance on May 10, 2009 6:45 pm

This is my favorite "betcha didn't know this was there" site to point out to visitors.

by dcguy on May 11, 2009 8:38 am

caryoreilly: Some people just think that "history" is fascinating, without making value judgments. I for one simply enjoy learning about what a neighborhood was like in the past.

by LibrariNerd on May 11, 2009 10:34 am

Well, as the creator of this series, I should probably state what I would hope someone would get out of it.

I think having a sense history of a place is helpful and grounding. As many people who live in Washington aren't originally from here, to assume that history started the day we arrived is naïve. If we know the history of our city and neighborhoods, I would hope we have a better sense of place.

Personally, I appreciate the past. I live in an older home and intend to restore it as much as possible. But that doesn’t mean that I embrace old technology and won’t adapt the structure to modern conveniences and concepts.

Similarly, I love good architecture whether is be 100 years old or modern. A personal favorite of mine is the Realtor’s building on New Jersey Ave., NW.

I do not believe the City should be treated as a 19th century theme park and have many issues with historic districts … but don’t think that history should be destroyed and discarded without thought and planning.

Lastly, by knowing the history of our neighborhoods, we can better interact with them. In my neighborhood, anyone who has lived there less than 8 years is still considered a new kid on the block. When you go to a Neighborhood Association Meeting and talk with old timers that remember when a building was a dime store 30 years ago, its helpful to speak their language, understand their life experiences, and have a better idea of why they may support or opposed a proposed development project.

You can take what you want from the images. There is no sinister or hidden agenda here.

by Kent on May 11, 2009 4:14 pm

someone said "look how small people were then". Um.....thats a little CHILD in that old picture.

by ptolemy on Jun 27, 2010 11:22 am

One of the great mysteries of D.C. is why this old house hasn't been acquired by the National Park Service and restored. Its history is not insignificant.

by John Fuller on Jan 4, 2011 3:51 pm

I can't believe that the Historical Society would allow a chinese restaurant to move into a building as important in history as Mary Surratt's home on H Street in Washington, D.C. Good grief, chinese food is not important but our American history is. It hardly resembles the same boarding house that it use to. I would just bet that the people leasing that building now do not know the history of it.

by bunz on Aug 18, 2011 11:56 am